By way of background, and as one illustrative example, the growing of garden plants for either aesthetics or sustenance involves regular surface manipulation of the garden soil for air and water entrainment and weed control, as well as for topical application of fertilizers around the plant for its nourishment and healthy growth.
The surface manipulation of the garden soil is generally undertaken by hand utilizing an implement of choice, usually a hoe or multi-tined cultivator, which enables the gardener to get in and around the plants without having to walk in the general vicinity of the plants and undesirably compact the soil. The application of fertilizer on the other hand may either be achieved by hand or by using a broadcast spreader or a scoop. A broadcast spreader is generally unsatisfactory since there is generally poor directional control of fertilizer within the garden environment so that much of the fertilizer is wasted by being accidentally misdirected onto pathways or outside the garden. Further, some of the fertilizer may be retained on the foliage or fruit of the plants where it can cause harm. Fertilizing by hand or by using a scoop requires one to walk within the garden thereby compacting the soil with the resultant need to re-cultivate the soil surface.
There are many other occasions when it is advantageous to sprinkle a free-flowing particulate material, for example in cooking, where the particulate may advantageously be sprinkled from a dispensing container or jigger by the use of an invertible valve on the container or jigger.